MMA Fights, Paralympic Awareness and Large Investments – VRFocus

11 months ago

As the Game Developer Conference 2018 wraps up it is time for VRFocus to bring you another edition of This Week in VR Sport. With a number of sports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories, this week has a number of topics that you are sure to find interesting. From a free 4K VR stream of mixed martial arts (MMA) fights to a VR videogame made to raise awareness of Paralympic sports and athletes, This Week in VR Sport has it all.

CamSdoa, a leading live cam platform have announced its first-ever MMA event that will be streamed in 4K VR for free. Scheduled to take place in Fort Lauderdale on 26th April, viewers will be treated to a fight between Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco “Suave” Rodriguez taking on UFC veteran Alex “The Spartan” Nicholson as well as Pride veteran “Felony” Charles Bennett versus Bruce “The Iron Lion” Lutchmedial, in addition to another number of fights on the night as well.

“Live streaming has quickly become a focal point for heavyweights such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube. Here at Camsoda we are committed to delivering compelling content that directly engages our users. With Camsoda Legends we will offer hard hitting action-packed interactive content catering to combat sports fans all over the world.” said Daryn Parker, VP, CamSoda.

During the livestream viewers will be able to directly interact with fighters in real-time for the first-time ever. As the fights play out viewers will be able to determine the bonus money and provide extra incentive for the fighters. Tokens will be available for purchase as well enable another way for viewers to support their preferred fighter and increase the price pool.

Available in 4K VR, viewers will be able to step inside the ring and experience fights like never before. More details on the CamSoda Legends event can be found on their website.

To help raise awareness of the Paralympic sports and athletes, IMG Studio have released released a full-immersive, VR wheelchair basketball videogame. Created for South Regional Adaptive & Paralympic Sports (STRAPS) and Morgan’s Wonderland, the titles immerses users into the sport to help players practice and help raise awareness. The title allows for a user to get another perspective on Paralympic sport and experience it themselves alongside providing a virtual training experience.

Designers of the title tired to make it as accurate as possible by using a number of different techniques in the development process to ensure an accurate and realistic simulation. STRAPS director Brooke Matula commented on the news stating: “We at STRAPS are so excited that this emerging technology is putting players in the game in a virtual way and increasing awareness of Paralympic sports.” The title was available for attendees of the San Antonio Spurs game early this week giving an opportunity to experience the title.

Pan-Asian media and entertainment investment firm, Emerald Media, is entering the sports technology space with an $80 million (USD) minority stake in the Singapore-based Global Sports Commerce (GSC). The GSC’s business spans throughout Asia, Australia and Europe with a number of subsidiaries that provide technology-based solutions for sponsorship management, fan engagement, AR, VR, streaming and drone-based needs. Having worked with the likes of FIFA, the English Premier League, Formula 1 and Cricket Australia it is a proven and reliable provide of solutions.

With the investment from Emerald Media, GSC will be able to develop next generation technologies for the sporting eco-system and expand its operations in the fast-growing digital sporting solution market. Emerald’s Managing Director, Rajesh Kamat, commented on the news stating: “The introduction of digital technology into the world of sports has helped amplify fans’ appreciation of the games and has helped to create an alternative source of revenue for clients, besides the games themselves.”

That is all for this week in the world of VR Sports. For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus and remember to check back next week for another This Week In VR Sport.